Why The Lightning Conductor, Part 2
I peruse reviews to find out why readers enjoy The Lightning Conductor
I first found The Lightning Conductor listed on a Goodreads discussion page for public domain epistolary works. My investigation of The Lightning Conductor, after I had quickly perused the book itself on Project Gutenberg as I compiled my list of novel candidates, was through a combination of the book’s Goodreads page*, the Wikipedia pages of its authors, and a review from the Edwardian Promenade blog*. [* light spoilers]
The Lightning Conductor was first published in Britain in 1902, but it is the 1903 revised and enlarged American edition that is readily available on Project Gutenberg. It enjoyed great popularity at the time of its publication in America, meriting several sequels (The Lightning Conductor Discovers America, The Lightning Conductress, and The Lightning Conductor Comes Back) and a 1914 movie adaptation (now lost). Indeed, it sold more than a million copies in America!
The book was co-written by C.N. (Charles Norris) and A.M. (Alice Muriel) Williamson, a married pair. Later comments by Alice suggest that she did most of the writing. She claimed that "Charlie Williamson could do anything in the world except write stories" while "I can't do anything else." Charles’ knowledge and reputation as an automotive journalist contributed to the success of their novels, regardless of the his storytelling ability.
Goodreads lists, in addition to the 3.81 star rating produced by 27 readers, four reviews, which are generally complimentary of the book and of the Williamsons as writers. They describe the book as “hilarious… well-written, witty, interesting, and romantic,” as well as “an absolute gem of travelogue and shenanigans! Simply fun, funny, and edifying. … Satisfying and sweet; old-fashioned and lovely.”
The actual plot is described as a young woman, Molly, and her Aunt Mary on an early 1900s motor car trip across Europe in which everything goes wrong, until a gentlemanly chauffeur-in-disguise rescues them with his skill for automobile mechanics. Several of its intriguing elements - characters in disguise, alternating viewpoints, early motor car travel snafus, and travelogue accounts of famous European sights and scenery - are frequent themes in the Williamsons’ novels. Blending genres, the novel contains elements of comedy, romance, bronze era motoring enthusiasm, travelogue, adventure, and, of course, epistolary fiction.
It seemed that this novel had elements that might appeal to a range of readers, fans of several genres, as well as a few particular tropes. It also takes place across only three months - a very approachable time period for subscribers to decide whether they wish to continue on with this subscription as we move on to books that are a greater commitment mental and temporal commitment, such as the very angsty and gothic The Sorrows of Young Werther, the voluminous Clarissa, or the four-year span of Daddy Long Legs.
PS
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In honor of Pride month, next week’s Side Stories post will be a list of free online LGBTQ+ publications. Suggest favorites in the comments!
PPS
In other news, I have acquired a (slightly battered) copy of the 1905 “Revised, Enlarged, and Illustrated” edition of The Lightning Conductor, so that I can scan and include illustrations on the appropriate entries. There are fewer illustrations than I had hoped (only eight), yet I hope receiving occasional photos from your good penpal Molly will enliven the experience.